Recently I was looking the at Cruise for Credit offered by ASU this coming December, and I thought what a delightful thing it would be to participate in this. I emailed one instructor involved and the study abroad office with some questions. The cruise is on NCL and departs out of Charleston, SC on Dec 13 for a week. That is a really convenient port and although I have lived in Europe and the Far East, I have never been on a cruise; here was a chance to possibly visit Hemingway’s house in Key West and see descendants of his 3 toed cats and to stretch my boundaries. Much to my spouse’s relief, they no longer adopt out 3 toed kittens; instead they opt for selective breeding just to keep the house population stable. Oh yes! I wanted a Hemingway kitten.

     I was very excited about the ASU cruise and transmitted the information and excitement to my spouse, who of course did not want me to go unless he could. Well, Study Abroad is not a family experience.

      However all is not lost. We are contemplating booking on the same ship for the same dates. I really have no problem with that but will be sorry to miss the writing class and interaction with fellow students. I think of this as my graduation trip albeit 9 months early.

Now where did I put those passport applications?

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The opportunities to write are almost over, I have enjoyed posting and will be somewhat sad to see this project end.

At times I have felt as if this blasted semester would never end and now of course with all the projects due and final exams looming on the horizon, I wish for an extra week. Isn’t that always the way of it? It seems that many students I have attended classes with are graduating this May or this coming December. I have met so many fine people since starting here in May of 2005. I am glad for people to graduate but sad to see them go.

My time to wear the cap and gown will come; three more semesters and God willing if the creek don’t rise, I will have my degree. This is a personal goal and something it is never to late to attain. 

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Many years from now, current ASU students will be able to state exactly where they were and what they were doing when 

our fine basketball team played in the NCAA Division TWO elite 8, then the final 4, then the championship game in Springfield MA.

You may have traveled to MA, you may have cheered them on from a game viewing at JSAC, you may have even watched the final game on CBS.

It was an exciting wild ride. The only other time I felt this way was sitting in a high school Geometry class listening to the Detroit Tigers play and win the world series. We had ‘transister radios’. This was state of the art technology. A huge step forward over table radios with vacumm tubes. Technology changes but the excitement of cheering on your team remains the same.

Thank you Jaguars and thank you Tigers.

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This semester is 75% finished and I still have not discovered my focus or motivation. Now I just want the semester to finish. I could ramble on making excuses about 9 semesters in a row is taking its toll on me but the bottom line doesn’t change. This has been the worst semester for me mentally:  my attitude towards school stinks. All I know to do is to keep plugging away and complete this semester and hope taking the summer off revitilizes my focus for school.

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I have been on both sides of the fence.

 I lived in the same house at the same address for 18.5 years in a suburb of Detroit, MI. I used to joke that ‘deep south’ meant going to Toledo, OH. If I had continued at our local community college and remained in the area, I would have missed out on so much. However, there is much to be said for the feeling of security of not moving outside your comfort zone.

I jumped over that fence when I got on an airplane and traveled to Alabama for WAC basic training. I found myself celebrating my 19th birthday on a beach in Florida. I celebrated a very homesick Christmas when I was 20, in Zweibrucken, Germany. I gave birth to a baby in a  hospital in Taegu, South Korea where no one around me spoke English except my husband. These were all growing experiences for me. The more cultures, climates, and circumstances a person experiences, adds so much to life.

This made me a mother hen who encouraged her chicks to fly away where the jobs are. I am still secure in my motherhood; there is email, snail mail, cell phones, etc. When I left home, I managed to maintain a close relationship with home through letters, photos, and occasional visits.

Where is this going? I see to many students afraid to interview for and accept jobs in places other than Augusta, GA. There is a whole world out there waiting to be explored, new people to meet, places to see, and opportunities not to miss. Whether its a job in Macon, GA or San Diego, CA, give life a chance. Of course you must consider the cost of living in other places when accepting a job and you must willing to take the first step away from your comfort zone.

Or you can stay in your comfort zone. It is your choice.

A good first step to expanding your world is take advantage of ASU’s study abroad program.

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